European Tour / PGA

US Open 2018

June 14-17

Shinecock Hills, New York

$12,000,000

June 14-17

Shinecock Hills, New York

$12,000,000

Round 3

Johnson in 4-way tie in New York

Round 1

Round 2

Round 4

Round 1

Round 2

Round 4

June 16, 2018

Dustin Johnson lost his four-stroke lead in his first six holes on Saturday to finish 7-over par 77 at Shinecock Hills and had to settle for a share of the lead alongside Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger and Tony Finau.

Berger and Finau played early and raced up the leaderboard with 4-under 66s.

By the time the leaders teed off the sunshine and wind had dried out the course and the greens were hard and fast making approaches and putts difficult, reminiscent of the 2004 US Open at Shinecock when the wind made some of the greens practically unplayable.

``Frankly, we missed it with the wind,`` admitted US Golf Association chief executive Mike Davis. ``The speed of the greens was too much for the wind we had. It was a very tough test, but probably too tough this afternoon.``

Johnson found trouble early on making his first double bogey of the week at the par three second. Four bogeys followed including three in a row between holes 6 and 8.

Arriving at the 18th tee, Johnson still held a one-stroke lead but his approach bounced and raced 17 feet past the hole as did his first putt. His putt for par almost made it but didn't drop.

Koepka, who made two birdies and four bogeys on his way to a 2-over 72, wondered if the course would hold up through the final round.

``I hope these greens are good enough to play tomorrow,`` said Koepka, who won last year at Erin Hills last year with a record-equalling 16-under par total. ``They're very borderline right now to be honest with you.``

Phil Mickelson gave rise to much controversy when he decided to putt a moving ball at the 13th hole.

His bogey putt had moved past the cup and was rolling down a slope when he putted it back toward the hole. The two-stroke penalty on top of the eight strokes it took to get the ball in the hole gave him a sextuple bogey 10 and contributed to his highest ever US Open round of 11-over 81.

Mickelson admitted he knew he would receive a penalty but preferred it to letting the ball move away from the green.

``Look, I don't mean disrespect to anybody,`` he said. ``I know it's a two-shot penalty. At that time, I just didn't feel like going back and forth and hitting the same shot over.``

``It's meant to take advantage of the rules as best as you can. In that situation, I was just going back and forth. I would gladly take the two shots over continuing that display.``

John Bodenhamer of the US Golf Association said Mickelson received the penalty for violating rule 14-5 by ``making a stroke at a moving ball.`` He added that USGA rules officials did not consider Mickelson's actions to be covered by the rule stating ``a player must not take an action with the intent to influence the movement of a ball in play`` -- which can result in disqualification.